I loved the food, I got chicken shawarma, hummus, and falafel. Best Mediterranean I've had ever in the city. I was served by 2 very nice ladies that sent me home with extras!! The falafel was amazing, very clean tasting, the hummus a little bland (maybe a little more spices to be mixed) but again very clean tasting and fresh. And the chicken shawarma was large, like 3/4 my arm. Hot sauce was very good, home made. Had a kick but not over powering or destroying my taste buds (I've got a pretty good spice tolerance). Great food, very happy, definitely going back with people. On a side note the business itself seems to donate food to shelters, poor, across boarders. So if you're a person that values strong ethical values this should resonate with you. read more

Taboun has hands down the best falafel in the city. The family who owns the restaurant is very friendly and the prices are very reasonable. But let's get back to the fact that their falafel is fantastic, just the right combination of crunchy and flavorful, not dry like many 'fast falafel' places. read more

Excellent Mediterranean restaurant near UC Med Center. I will definitely be back. The food was hot, fresh and very tasty. I tried the lamb-beef Schwarma with rice, hummus, and falafel. They also provided a generous portion of fresh pita bread. Inside and outside seating. read more

It was my first time trying this place and I'm glad i did . I ordered the lamb shawarma warp and it was amazing. The portion was big . Definitely worth trying. read more

Wonderful food, reasonably priced, and very nice staff. This was a great experience. I'll definitely be coming back. Get the lamb-beef shawarma plate. Superb. read more

Taboun - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

Always solid, everything is made to order, and they take their time to grill up the kabobs and also do a slight char on the wraps after making it. The lamb kabobs are top notch! The falafel is also really good and very well priced read more

Wait but this food is amazing?? The chicken shrawma is the best I've had and I've had tons

The food was ok could've been hotter the prices were really high especially thier drinks I suggest you buy you're drinks from across the street at the Walgreens than they secretly overcharged me so watch what thier ringing you up for or buy it one at a time that way you know how much thier supposed to charge you thier service was good they were really nicr read more

Somehow, I've lived three blocks from this restaurant for over a year and never knew it was there, but I woke up Saturday morning craving falafel, so I got my first taste of Taboun. Not liking the looks of the shawerma meat rotating on the spits, I ordered the vegetarian platter. The man who took my order informed me before taking my money that it would take about ten minutes and I had my food in about 8. I assume it was because I was the first customer of the day and they were still warming up, but nonetheless, I thought that offering the warning was kind. I took my food to go, but the inside of the restaurant was very clean and well-maintained, if not rather small and characterless. The platter was loaded with a superb selection of dolmas, salad, feta, pickles, tabbouleh, hummus, baba ganoush, and falafel. There was an adequate amount of toasted pita wrapped in foil and everything was superb with the exception of the baba ganoush, which had a little bit of an off taste, but it wasn't awful. For eight bucks, it was a substantial amount of food. read more

I don't get why this place has such good reviews. My friend and I had the falafel wrap and chicken shawarma. I found the chicken to be rather tasteless. Good shawarma has flavorful chicken. Chicken on a spit requires a bit of fat in order to truly bring out any flavor.The spits at Taboun were bone dry. Perhaps this is just how this place interprets how a shawarma should be made. In which case, my quest for a juicy, nicely charred shawarma continues. read more

This is our go-to spot for Shwarma in the City. The lamb-beef shwarma is delicious - juicy, tender, flavorful meat shredded into tiny morsels and served over rice for the dinner plate, and in a wrap otherwise. The sides are decent too - we particularly like the mojadara, a blend of rice, lentils and carmelized onions. My toddler reports that the chicken shwarma is yummy as well, though because it's a mix of white and dark meat I don't like it as much. Usually not too crowded and a great place to take ankle biters - they have high chairs and it's very casual so nobody minds the clamor. Order at the counter and they'll bring it to your table - great for take-out too. Big servings, reasonable prices - no complaints here. read more

When a "side" of hummus is as big as a boat I couldn't be happier. I could swim in hummus! Especially THIS hummus...damn it was good. Super friendly people, too. Any place that has chicken and hummus definitely warrants a return visit. It has a cute little seating area, too. read more

Worst Mediterranean food I have had in a long time. Would not recommend eating here. I have no clue why people write good reviews on this place. * Falafel wrap had pickles and french fries in them. Pickles? McDonald's style pickles in the wrap. French fries? Soggy bulk warehouse store fries with no flavor. Falafel was too spicy to taste other flavors in the wrap. * Our order was to go, so our dolmas were wrapped in aluminum foil. Who likes smashed dolmas? We didn't. Overall, I have to say this place caters to the average, uneducated, American palate. If you like Medi food, avoid this place. There's a better place on Haight and Pierce just down in the Lower Haight. Avoid at all costs. read more

Best shawerma in town, they do it the right way when u go their make sure u ask for the Ramallah style lamb shawerma and that's how it should be read more

Taboun - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

No flavors at all in the falafel I had. On top of this, mine had pickles in it- which I've never had in any mediterranean food before. The flavors were also lacking in the side dishes as well (the creamy eggplant (baba ganoush?) and tabouli). Why would anyone go there is beyond me, but look for better more authentic options than this one. Also, at 8pm there was no one inside eating- no one. If this isn't a sign that you're not getting enough business, then I don't know what else is. read more

1) YUMMY (i ordered the deluxe falafel which was NOT greasy & shared the hummmm...mmus, which was really really good) 2) Great alternative to other eateries near UCSF 3) CLEAN CLEAN restaurant 4) FAST Service 5) Love supporting local businesses my co-worker and I were pleasantly surprised and are going to return very very soon. read more

I found this place after looking foe something other than hospital food while my wife was @ UCSF for 2 weeks and just a few blocks down the hill from there. This was my first time there and employees took their time to explain the menu. I ordered the Lamb/Beef Shawirma, $7.95 and Hummus $4.25. Very good meal, good flavors and a fair price. Food got cold by the time I finished in 8 minutes, but wouldn't hold that against them, because even cold the Shawirma still held good flavors. Selections of beer, soda, and wine is very small, but they have the basics covered. I would go back and looking forward to the Chicken Shawirma and will review that one too. I'll try to attach a current menu with new prices. Semper Fi read more

Had a falafel wrap yesterday it was pretty yummy and my god! it was a pretty big wrap almost the size of a super burrito. I will definitely be going back especially since it is conveniently located right down the street from the UCSF campus and the service was fast and friendly. read more

Disappointing. I don't know how the other dishes are at this place, but they have the worst Shawarma wrap. It is best described as a cucumber roll with barely any shawarma in it and no flavor. And the same with the falafel wrap. They just fill everything up with cucumber. The shawarma and falafel taste fine on their own, but sadly there isn't enough of it in the wrap. read more

Conveniently located right down the street from the UCSF campus, this is the ultimate quick, comfort food. Chicken skewers are nicely charred outside but so moist and flavorful inside. Beef kebabs are done equally well. Grilled tomatoes are slightly smoky but sweet, beef is not dried out. The falafel is fried perfectly but not too greasy, and it's probably my favorite thing here. Hummus is standard, but the baba ganouj was a little too oily and not as smoky as I'd like. Other typical things I tried were the tabouleh, mojadara, Greek salad, dolmas, but nothing stood out too much. Most people I saw were getting shawaramas, I guess because they're portable and filling, but do NOT miss out on the falafel! read more

Came here for a quick bite with my friend because we saw it randomly empty. I ended up getting the vegetarian plate which was pretty filling. I had to take about half home. My friend got the shawarma wrap and she also took half back. The food was good. I didn't really like one of the hummus on the plate but I forgot which one it was. The people are nice! The food pretty quick and easy. It costs about 10 bucks which isn't bad for SF food. Glad I got my one dollar employee discount :). Honestly probably wouldn't come back again specifically for the food. Maybe for a casual lunch or something. read more

I have been eyeing this place for a while because I love Mediterranean food and I finally made it there this month. I have been twice and had the falafel deluxe wrap which very big and very delicious. This might have been because I was starving the first time. I saw them making Mojadara with meat on top (+$3), so I got that the second time. It was okay.. the meat seemed a bit dry ... maybe it wasn't fresh because its the end of the weekend? I tried my friend's hummus and babganoush- good, but wasn't the best I ever had. They did grill the tomatoes and onions when I added them to add that. Overall, I think I will go there again just for good measure so I can see what the food is like during working hours and has just been made. And maybe I will check against the other mediterrean place around Iriving and 7th (which never fails me!!) read more

We wanted a lighter dinner so we ordered the Chicken Shawarma Bowl and Lamb/Beef Shawarma Bowl. The meat was served on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with a yogurt dressing. Both the chicken and lamb/beef shawarma tasted a little and it could've used more spice. read more

The lamb-beef shawarma that I had was very good and I'd for sure get it again, but just note that the prices have gone up since the pic provided of the menu (that was uploaded in Aug. '07); it's now $8.95, or $9.58 w/tax included. It is a little pricey, especially for lunch - but taste-wise, it makes up for it and you could very well eat half of it for later! The interior is nice - very calm and relaxed looking. After I placed my order, it took around 5min to receive it and there were about four other people already eating there during the time I went, sometime after 12pm. The people working there were nice and gave good service. I really liked having the hot sauce in the shawarma - to me it had just the right kick to it, and made it even more delicious! read more

Great place for falafel! They have a great menu, tasty dishes and fast friendly service. My boyfriend shared the chicken schwarma dinner plate. There was more than enough food for both of us and we were stuffed after. One of my favorite places for lunch. read more

Mmmmm... Shawirma....mmmm I have to admit that I only ever order one thing here, the Chicken Shawirma! I'm not usually the kind of person to order the same thing every time, but it is so good. And honestly, there are some days where I just crave one of their flavorful shawirma wraps. It is the perfect meal on the go, and on a nice day it is fantastic to sit on the corner, watch the world go by and enjoy some really yummy food. read more

They make a mean shawerma at Taboun, but I think the vegetarian plate is really the best bargain in the house. For like 7 dollars you get massive piles of hummus, babaganoush, tabouleh, dolmas, cheese, pickles, olives, falafel, greek salad, and toasty warm pita. If you're really hungry, it's enough to eat 2/3 of. If you're only averagely hungry, its enough to eat half today and save half for lunch tomorrow. Two other high points. . . as others have said, the place is always sparkling clean, and they make the free non-bottled water obvious and available and its always fresh-tasting from the cucumber slices floating in it. read more

I've had the veg/falafel and the lamb-beef shawirmas (spelled this way on their menu), shared the Greek salad and veg combo. Only the Veg combo and Veg Shawirma were really good, because they were fresh and flavorful. The Greek salad was OK, but the lamb shawirma was tasteless; today the meat was old (not cut from the vertical rotisserie) and tough. Shawirma + coke +$9.44 incl tax, so it was no bargain. They serve a large portion of food, but it seemed even larger because I struggled a bit to finish the bland mass. The restaurant is clean, but this is not a plus, this is a basic expectation. The pickles surprised me, too. It was OK, but I would rather forgo the experience, read more

Their babaganush is DELICIOUS. You'll find authentic Mediterranean food here. The food is very tasty and staff is super friendly. Not overpriced for what you get. I had the lamb beef shawarma which was great, right balance of spices, meat and fresh veggies, I highly recommend!! read more

What a nice little place! I've had all the worst varieties of falafel and was pleasantly surprised when I tried the falafel wrap. The dining room is small and casual, and the staff appreciates if you bus your table after eating. The staff was very friendly and the food arrived quickly. read more

I came here yesterday, by the recommendation of a friend I was with. Glad I did, as I had been craving this type of mediterranean food for a while. Nice clean, family run shop, with great food, very reasonable prices for SF. I got the falafel delux wrapped in shawarma, and I must say it was excellent, and big portion too. I really like how this delux version included eggplant & potato inside of the Shawarma.. mm! I liked it so much, I ended up buying 2 lamb & beef shwarma wraps for our dinner that night too! I probably wouldn't come all the way to SF JUST to eat here... but if I was close enough in SF, I wouldn't hesitate to stop by, and grab some falafels or a wrap. read more

Overcharged us for items / not clear on pricing when we asked then seemed to add money for sides despite the plate coming with sides? 1 dollar sign but ended up leaving paying over $30 food that wasn't fresh or great, won't be visiting again. read more

I am so happy this is my neighborhood falafel joint! I mean how can you argue with french fries in your falafel???? It doesn't get better. Also, their hummus is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good. Besides the deluxe falafel (with the fries inside), I also love picking up a takeout order of a dozen falafel (only $3.95 and they will make them fresh for you!), some hummus and pita bread. It is the perfect treat for a picnic. Your friends will love you! read more

Got the Chicken Kebabs with hummus and falafel Walnut Baklava was bomb. Beef and Lamb shawarma was bombbbbbb Highly recommend. read more

My colleague raved about Taboun after eating there on a recent foray to her doc on Parnassus. Of course, her tantalizing descriptions game shortly before lunch time and it wasn't long before we were online and perusing the menu. I ended up choosing enough food to last the entire President's holiday weekend! Not ever having set foot in the place, all I know is that I am delighted with the food itself. The portions are huge and my wallet still has spending money left. I havent tried everything yet but, what I've eaten thus far, is superb. The falafel is the best I've eaten in thirty years of living in San Francisco! Normally, I find it so hard that it could be a lethal weapon if catapulted from a sling shot! Not so that of Taboun. It was perfect. And the Baba Ghanouj, with its creamy, smoky taste, amply laden with what seemed dozens of cloves of garlic ( never enough for me ) had me licking my lips. The pita bread was delicious...don't know if they make their own but they sent quite a bit with the extra Baba Ghanouj I ordered. I also had their lamb shish kebab - wonderfully succulent pieces of lamb! For later, I have their Vegetarian Combo ( I'm on call at 11PM and it will hit the spot if my pager goes off in the wee small hours though I'll have to gargle mouthwash all the way to the hospital ) - hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh, taboun salad falafel balls, dolmas, feta cheese, onion and pita bread. I'll certainly have to find more reasons to head over Parnassus way - most of my doctors are at CPMC! read more

Definitely best Mediterranean food I've had in the last 3 years. Best falafel ever. 10/10 service will definitely come again. Thanks to Maurice,Sam and staff for an excellent service. read more

Not sure if it was just an off-day or maybe they were insulted that I asked for Tzatziki on my kebab but these guys didn't like me for some reason and the kebab was bad. A chicken kebab was 10.31 (with optional fries added in the wrap for .75)! That to me is pretty damn steep for a kebab - especially for the quality which I received. It was bland even after I asked for extra spicy. The service was poor. The prices were high. I don't plan on ever going back. read more

Great chicken shawarma bowl/salad! Can't wait to eat it again :) small inside and cute little patio.

We love Taboun! Have been eating here for years, both in person, takeout and catering and only have good things to say. The baba ganoush is amazing! read more

Was staying in the area because my son was under going surgery and walked by this place and wanted to try it. Soooooooo glad I did!! The food was great and is very close to ucsf. Have eaten there three times in three days!! read more